A ranch wife's quest for physical, financial, and spiritual fitness

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If you ask any of my three kids where they live they will shout “Mills, New Mexico” with all the gusto of a rodeo announcer. When we stop by the post office four miles down the road, the only business in Mills proper, the kids sometimes ask, “What town are we in?”. When I tell them we are in Mills they say, “No we’re not! WE live in Mills!” In their little minds, Mills ends at our fence line.

I’ve had the opportunity to venture away from Mills and travel around Harding County over the last several weeks and explore many of the nooks and crannies I had never been able to see up close before. Harding County is deep and wide, 2,138 square miles to be exact. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet or get reacquainted with fine folks everywhere from the Canadian River Canyon area to the high rolling plains of the east side to the sand hills “below the hill”. Each stop that I have made along the campaign trail has reiterated the fact that we live in an incredibly diverse segment of the world.

Our diverse terrain and and the many miles that separate the residents of Harding County makes our area special, beautiful, peaceful, and an ideal place to raise livestock (and kids, in my opinion). However, in visiting with residents from the farthest north end of the county to the farthest south stretches, it is apparent that our diversity also lends itself to some serious challenges for local government. There are a lot of concerns out there that are a function of being on the far edges of Harding County. Neglected mail and school bus routes, ambulance service issues, and 911 address concerns are just some examples of the legitimate problems brought up during my campaign tour of the county.

I am running for Harding County Commissioner. I am not a politician by nature. This is my very first go round with politics but I am savvy enough to know not to make promises or claim that I will be able to please everyone. But let me tell you something that even an someone with as little governmental experience as me can see with crystal clarity. There are some serious issues that need attention no matter the physical location of the problem or if the solution goes against the way things have always been done. I think that it is high time for a fresh perspective, some open and attentive ears, and a person with a healthy respect and appreciation for the diversity of Harding County.

Unlike my kids, we have to remember that the county does not end at the end of our driveway. Harding County is not just Mills, or Solono, or Gallegos, or Bueyeros, or Roy, or Mosquero, or any point in between. Harding County is an interesting and intricate combination of us all. I am not in this race to to give my personal neck of the woods an unfair leg up, for personal notoriety or power, to clear a personal vendetta, or reap the perks of the position. I don’t have a dog in the age old fight of “That’s the way it’s always been done so that’s the way it should always be done”. I am ready to SERVE, willing to SERVE, and equipped to SERVE. Will you help me be in a position to serve?

Remember to vote on June 5th and vote Rebecca K. Smith for Harding County Commissioner!

Our family is the proud owner of two of the cutest, sweetest, and most affectionate dogs in the world. Although they are quite athletic, I cannot include talented working cow dogs to their list of attributes, much to the dismay of my husband. But all of that is okay with the kids and me. Daisy and Trixie, as we call them, are great companions.

When we are outside working, playing, or running, Daisy and Trixie are always close by. Well, always close by might be an exaggeration because these two dogs have a habit that is naughty yet very interesting to watch. They adore chasing rabbits. Our two Border Collie-Australian Shepard crosses are lightening fast and more times than not, they end up catching the rabbit they set out for.

Yesterday, on my down and back to the mailbox run in preparation for the Running Mate Sweetheart Virtual 5K, I witnessed one of the rare exceptions to their typical success. They were nosing around in a pile of pipe and jumped two rabbits at the same time. Daisy shot out of the driveway with Trixie hot on her heals in blazing pursuit of the two furry pipe dwellers. As nature designed them to do, the rabbits went in opposite directions and the dogs hesitated for a split second. Then the dogs set off in the direction of the rabbit headed east but they were several strides behind it now so they about-faced and attempted to run down rabbit number two. However, as you can imagine this particular little critter had already made it to the fence and was westward bound at a high rate of speed. The dogs clumsily bounced back and forth between the paths of the two rabbits for a few moments before admitting defeat and falling in behind me to finish up our run. I guess Daisy and Trixie haven’t studied much ancient Chinese philosophy.

The last few weeks has created a feeling in me that mirrors the moment when Daisy and Trixie were floundering around trying to decide which rabbit to chase. Between being a good mom to my three little kids, a good wife to my darling husband, building my home business, fulfilling my duties in community service organizations, and wrapping up the year-end bookkeeping for the ranch, my house is a complete and total disaster. Rather than logically weaving housekeeping into my day, I have been doing a whole lot of frantic spinning my wheels and not accomplishing anything.

Luckily, I know the solution to my problem. I desperately need a routine! But how does one go from frenzied, undirected activity to efficient, purposeful action? For me, it all begins with one of my heroes, the FLYLady. My sister introduced me to her a few years ago and, despite my original balking at the idea of a creating a structured home flight plan, all I have to say now is God bless the FLYLady! She has a really straightforward system for avoiding CHAOS and keeping a home running smoothly, efficiently, and crazed-mother-breakdown free. I have started, implemented, and mastered this program in the past but as I added more and more to my plate, I have slowly let my FLYing go by the wayside. But I am back on the bandwagon now!

FLYLady’s program is a series of baby steps that eventually turn into a well-organized routine. The first step in FLYLady’s program is to shine your sink. Yep, that’s right. Shine that puppy until it sparkles. And keep it that way no matter what.

It seems like a very small and insignificant undertaking but it is a giant leap toward developing a plan and getting back on track to a house that won’t make a person want to turn off all the lights and hide in the closet if anyone drops by for a visit. Trust me. I haven’t ever actually hidden in the closet but, oh boy, have I wanted to! I am babystepping my way back to a routine that incorporates all aspects of this busy home life I have created for myself and it all starts with a shiny sink. I am FLYing high now and being more productive than I have in a long while.

Housekeeping rabbit, you better run fast because I am after you with a vengeance!